Collapsible tube



INVENTO M s i 3 f ATTORNEYS.

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Flled Aug 3. 1923 R. H. LIEBERTHAL HUI/III June 16, 1925.

E VII/((IIIIIIII Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. LIEBEBTELL, OF BRDGEIORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE ALL-IN- ONE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF BB-IDGEPOBT, CONNECTICUT.

conmsmm 'runn Application filed August s, 1923. Serial 1T0. 655,466.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronnn'r H. LIEBER- THAL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut have invented a new and useful Collapsible Tube, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible tubes of the type used for holding paste or liquids, such as tooth paste, shaving cream, paints and so forth, and particularly to the discharge nozzle for these tubes and the means for sealing the same.

When these tubes are used for tooth paste the pure food laws require that-the tube and nozzle, and all parts coming in contact partial longitudinal section of a slightly with the paste, must be made entirely 0 block tin.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a discharge nozzle and a closure therefor which may be made entirely of block tin and which will be as cheap to manufacture as the screw cap now generally used. i

It is also an obj ect'of the invention to provide a construction in which the nozzle will be effectively closed against leakage, in

I which the closure element is permanently attached to the nozzle and so cannot be removed therefrom and lost, in which the closure may be quickly and easily operated to open or close the discharge opening, and in which the closure cannot he accidentally opened by pressure on the tube. 7

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device .of this character which will be entirely sanitary.

With the foregoing and other objects in view I have devised the construction illus trated in the accompanying drawing, in which i Y Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one end of a collapsible tube, showing my improved discharge nozzle applied thereto, the nozzle and closure being shown in section taken substantially on line l-lof Fig. 2, and showing the closure in open positlon.

Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation and a partial section substantially on line 2-2 of g L Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the closure showing its shape before it is applied to the tube.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the closure in closed position, the section being taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. is amend elevation of the nozzle looking from the right of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the end of the nozzle with the closure removed.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section through the closure, shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the section being taken substantially on line 7-7 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the closure looking from the right of Fig. 7..

Fig. 9 is a partial side elevation and a different construction of nozzle, the section being taken substantailly on line 9-9 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the nozzle shown in Fig. 9 and looking from the right of this figure.

Fig. 11 is a loiigitudinal section through the closure of Figs. 9 and 10, taken substantially on line 11-11 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the end of the nozzle shown in Fig. 9 with the closure removed, and

Fig. 13 is an end elevation thereof.

Referring to the form of nozzle shown in Figs. 1 to 8 the body of the tube is shown at 15, and leading from. the end of this tube is a tubular nozzle 16. Thls nozzle is preferably formed integral with the body of the tube, but may be formed separately and attached thereto by any suitable means. It has a longitudinal discharge 1? communicating with the tube, which passage in the present instance leads thro the outer end of this nozzle. Adpcent e outer end of this nozzle is a lateral opening 18 leading from the longitudinal passage 17, and at or adpcent its outer end the nozzle provided with a flange 19. The closure in this form of device comprises a cap 20, which may be lmurled on its outer surface or madepolygonal as desired to facilitate rotation thereof, and it comprises two concentric tubular portions 21 and 22 which from each other when a plied to the nozzle, the distance between m being sufident to allow inserto provide tion of the flange 19, the inner tube 21 being of a size to closely fit the discharge assage 17 but rotatable therein. When ormed and before being applied to the nozzle the outer tube 22 is cylindrical as shown in Fig. 2, but after it is applied to the tube the portion adjacent its free end is .rolled 0r pressed inwardly against the outer surface of the nozzle and behind the flange 19, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to coact with the flange to retain the closure on the nozzle. The inner tube 21 is provided with alongitudinal passage 23 open at its inner'end to the passage 17 but which is closed at its outer end. This tube 21 also has a lateral opening 24 leading from the passage 23 and so located that it may be brought into alignment with opening 18 by rotation of the closure or cap 20 on the nozzle. The outer tube 22 is slabbed off at one side in alignment with the opening 24 as shown at 25 in Fig. 2. This provides an opening through this outer tube which will be in alignment with the opening 18 when the opening 24 is in alignment therewith to allow discharge of the contents of the tube, and will, also provide relatively sharp edges 26 on opposite sides of the discharge opening 18 to shear off any paste which may be projecting from this discharge opening when this closure is moved to closing position. It will thus prevent paste remaining on the discharge nozzle to collect dirt and become unsanitary.

In order that the operator may easily and quickly open or close the nozzle a portion of the flange 19 is removed or it is notched o posed shoulders 27 and 28', and the cap or (ilosure is provided with a projection or lug1 29 so located as to be between these s oulders and to coact therewith to limit the rotative movement of the cap or closure in opposite directions. That is, the shoulder 27 and the lug 29 are so located that when the cap or closure is rotated counter-clockwise as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, engagement of this lug with the shoulder 27 will stop this rotation with the opening 24 in alignment with opening 18.

.When the closure is in this position pressure on the tube 15 will force the contents thereof through these openings. After a sufiicient quantity desired has been forced through these openings locations of the cap or closure in the opposite direction or clockwise as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4 will rotate the tubes 21 and 22 to move the discharge openin 24 out of ali ment with opening 18 an efl'ectively sea the nozzle, this movement being limited by engagement of the lug 29 with the shoulder 28. During this movement the upper sharp edge 26 will shear off any paste which happens to be protrudin from the o ning 18. It will be seen t at in this position the nozzle is efl'ectively sealed both against drying out of the contents of the tube and also against leakage and accidental discharge of the contents should pressure be applied to the tube. As the passage 17 and inner tube 21 are cylindrical, a close fit may be easily made so that there is no danger of paste being forced in between the can or closure and the nozzle. The rolling in of the outer tube 22 gives sufficient frictional engagement between the closure and the outer surface of the nozzle to prevent accidental rotation of the closure on the nozzle.

Referring to Figs. 9 to 13 I have shown in thesefigures aslightly different construction of nozzle and closure. In this case the nozzle is indicated at 30 and has a longitudinal discharge passage 31, and this passage is closed at its outer end except for an eccentrically arranged discharge opening 32. The nozzle has at or adjacent its outer end a flange 33 corresponding to flange 19 in the first form, and it is used to secure the cap or closure 34 on the nozzle. This cap or closure does not have an inner tube corresponding to the tube 21 of the first form, but is provided with the outer tube 35 adapted to be rolled in over the flange 33, as in the first form, to permanently secure the closure to the nozzle. This cap or closure is provided with an eccentrically arranged opening. 36 adapted upon rotation of the closure on the nozzle to be moved to and from alignment with the opening 32 to allow discharge of the contents of the nozzle or to seal the same. The flange 33 ,is cut away as in the first form to provide spaced shoulders 37 and 38, and the cap or closure is provided with a lug 39 arranged between these shoulders so positioned that when the closure is rotatc-d counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 10 to bring this lug into engagement with the shoulder 38 the openings 32 and 36 will be brought into alignment and when rotated in the opposite direction to bring the lug into engagement with the shoulder 37 the openings will be moved out of alignment and the nozzle effectively sealed.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the nozzle and closure described may be made of block tin as required by the pure food laws, also that they may be manufactured at as low a cost as the tube closures now generally employed, but'as this closure is permanently secured to the nozzle it can not be removed and so can not be lost. Furthermore, the opening and closing operations are much simpler and may be performed in a much shorter time with this closure than with the screw type of closure, a partial rotation of the closure in either direction being sufficient to open and close the nozzle. The nozzle is also effectively closed against leakage or accidental opening should pressure be applied to the tube when the cap is in closing position, and it may be easily kept clean and sanitary at all times.

Having thus set forth the nature ofmy invention, what I claim is:

1. A collapsible tube having a discharge nozzle rovided with a longitudinal assage and a discharge opening'leading om said passage, said nozzle being provided with anexterior flange adjacent its outer end, and a movable cap embracing the outer end of the nozzle and provided with means engaging. said flange to prevent removal of the cap from the nozzle, said cap being provided with an opening adapted by movement of the cap to be brought into and shifted from alignment with the discharge opening, a portion of said flange being omitted to.provide spaced opposed shoulders, and a lug carried by the cap adapted to coact with said shoulders to limit the movements of the cap and-properly position the opening therein.

2. A collapsible tube having .a discharge nozzle provided with a longitudinal passage and a lateral discharge opening leading from said passage, said nozzle being protively sharp edges on opposite sides of the I discharge opening, a portion of said flange being omitted to provide spaced opposed shoulders, and a lugcarried by the cap extending between said shoulders and adapted to coact therewith to limit the movements ofthe cap and roperly position said edges.

3. A collapsi' 'le tube having a discharge nozzle provided with a longitudnal passage leading through the outer end thereof anda lateral disch'arge'opening leading from said passage, an external flange on said nozzle adjacent its outer end, a closure cap adapted to embrace the end of the nozzle and provided with concentric tubular portions the inner one of-which extends into the outer 0 an end of said nozzle and past said dis 0 arge opening, and the outer one of which embraces said flange to secure the cap to the nozzle, the inner tubular portion of the cap being provided with a lateral opening adapted to be brought into alignment with the, dischar e opening, and the outer'tubular portion eing slabbed 01f 0p osite the opening in the inner portion to rovide apassage sides of the discharge opening, said cap being rotatable on the nozzle, a portion of said flange bein omitted to provide spaced .opposed sho ders, and a lug carried by the cap' extending between said shoulders and adapted to en c said shoulders to limit the movements 0 -t e cap tol lproperly position thedopening in the inner t ular portion-and SM 7 i v In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

and comparatively sharp edges on opposite ROBERT H. LIEBERTHAL- 

